Music
1933 results
Page 131
Orchestra plays Beethoven and Stravinsky (1st review)
From Ravenna to Elysium
If Beethoven's Ninth is the great choral symphony of the 19th Century, Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms is in many ways a 20th Century riposte. In pairing them, Charles Dutoit bridged two eras; in playing them, the results were uneven though the effort worthwhile.
Articles
6 minute read
Met's "Die Walküre' in HD-Live Cinema
Wagner, up close and personal
On stage, Wagner's Die Walküre too often comes across as an overwrought spectacle. Thanks to the close-ups provided by video cameras, we can see Walküre for what it really is: an intimate story of personal relationships.
Articles
4 minute read
Camerata Ama Deus's all-Handel concert
At home in the Baroque
Like all musical organizations, Valentin Radu's Ama Deus mini-empire has its strengths and weaknesses. But you can be certain you'll get your money's worth when Radu leads his Camerata chamber orchestra through a Baroque period instrument concert.
Articles
3 minute read
Dolce Suono's Mahler/Schoenberg festival
Mahler and Schoenberg in a whole new light
Dolce Suono's live-wire leader, Mimi Stillman, combined a new music mini-festival with memorable performances of two established works while demonstrating, once again, that her talent for creating fascinating programs rivals her abilities as a flutist.
Articles
4 minute read
"The Merry Widow' in Wilmington
The good old days (before microphones, even)
After a century, how does Lehár's The Merry Widow hold up? This Wilmington production recalled Broadway's post-World War II golden age, propelled by broad humor, energetic dancing and a blissful absence of mechanical amplification.
Articles
3 minute read
Piffaro's Heinrich Isaacs concert
Mellowing with age
In 25 years, Piffaro has evolved from musical brawls to more refined Renaissance repertoire. Are all of us mellowing as we age along with Piffaro's musicians? Or is our appreciation of Renaissance music growing more sophisticated?
Articles
4 minute read
Orchestra plays Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky
Exits and entrances
The Philadelphia Orchestra's Russian Spring continued with performances of the Shostakovich First and the Tchaikovsky Sixth symphonies under guest conductor Kurt Masur. Barely 30 years separate these works, but it seems more like a century.
Articles
5 minute read
Curtis Opera's "Idomeneo'
Mozart on the cusp of greatness
Idomeneo isn't Mozart's greatest musical creation, but it's the opera he produced just before the ultimate flowering of his talent.
Articles
4 minute read
Opera Company's "Tosca'
If it has melody, who needs logic?
The Opera Company of Philadelphia's Tosca is well sung and for the most part well mounted. If you don't look too closely at plot or character, the gorgeous arias will work their usual magic.
Articles
5 minute read
New works by Maneval, Levinson and DuBois
Three new composers and a thousand crickets
Three new works by Philadelphia composers added depth and zest to concerts that placed them shoulder-to-shoulder with music that has survived decades of scrutiny.
Articles
3 minute read